Magic Potion

Will comic books survive the media maelstrom? Can graphic novels pack the same visual punch on screen? A new player in publishing is working to ease the transition. Launched to the public this week, Graphic.ly is looking to build a niche as both an online community and digital content delivery platform for comic books and graphic novels. Publishers including Top Cow, BOOM!, and Arcana have signed on to make their content available via Graphic.ly. The first applications out of beta allow users to download, read, and chat from their computer desktops, but stay tuned for iPhone, iPad, and other versions. According to CEO and co-founder Micah Baldwin, "Graphic.ly is the online version of hanging out at the comic book store, finding new friends, new comics to read, and new interests and genres."

Looking for that perfect Earth Day gift? Try a twenty-first century take on the family tree from My Tree and Me, a new online company that specializes in modern geneology charts that double as inspiring wall art. Opt for a customized version of vibrant designs that range from minimalist to mod or order a DIY chart to fill in on your own (practice on the included black and white copy first). Just add family! The site offers a list of links to help you research your family history and fill in the blanks.

Ever wonder what would have happened if Saul Bass had applied his graphic design talents to the small screen? Albert Exergian seems to have a pretty good idea. The Austrian designer combined his love for posters, modernism, and television to create Iconic TV, a series of mod posters that boils down popular TV shows to bold icons. The Sopranos is represented by an circular swatch of red-checked tablecloth, and Two a Half Men is a jazzy take on piano keys (two and a half of them), while lollipop-loving Kojak is symbolized by a simple ball and stick sucker. Some posters appear to have required more thinking than others. The X Files poster? A large "X." Archival prints of any of Exergian's 47 TV posters are available for purchase from online gallery Blanka. Just click through the swatches on the left to find your favorite.

Can't get enough artist-produced t-shirts? Set aside a sizable chunk of time (and your paycheck) before heading to Rumplo, where 12,000 t-shirts and counting are just a click away. The mission of the fully searchable site is simple: "to make it easy for everyone to find their new favorite t-shirts, and to give designers and tee shops great tools to promote and share their killer work." Go high-end with artist Dan Colen's $116 white tee dotted with pressed blobs of chewed gum or side with the masses, who are snapping up a blunt message tee that reads "Design is Honest. Advertising is lying."

If you like your photomanipulation quick and dirty—or just need to tweak images on the fly—you'll love Rollip, a no-frills site that transforms uploaded images (jpegs, bmps, gifs, and pngs) with your choice of 40 effects. It's easy, fast, and, thanks to a smattering of unobtrusive banner ads, free. Tint your childhood photos a wistful sepia, impart an eerie glow to last Christmas, or warm up a cold city shot with the nostalgic tones of a faded Polaroid. Live it up with the "Styled Lenses" but for the sake of your memories, go easy on the "Extreme Stylized" effects.

New York City is celebrating Valentine's Day with the installation of a ten-foot-tall heart in Times Square. The cold caveat? It's constructed from masonry-scaled blocks of ice. Moorhead & Moorhead, the architectural and industrial design firm who created the public art project (with the help of structural engineers, lighting technicians, and a team of chainsaw-wiedling ice sculptors), are sharing the love online, with a web-based tool that allows users to create photo mosaic e-Valentines. Fill the virtual Ice Heart with your own photos or those selected automatically based on the Flickr tags of your choice, add a message, click "send," and prepare to melt the heart of that special someone.